Hello all! I live in midtown Manhattan which probably has some of the worst light pollution in the world. I am limited as to what I can see, the planets and the moon mostly (I did see the Orion nebula and the Jovian moons last night with 10x40b Zeiss binoculars on the roof of my apartment building.)

I want something small and portable which I can take the roof or walk to Central Park with. A 90mm Mak might fit the bill!

I am trying to decide between the two common ones. The Celestron C90 and the Orion StarMax 90 tabletop.I have read good things about the Celestron, but not as much out there about the StarMax. The StarMax is $50 more, but comes with an extra eyepiece and a simple mount.

Any opinions on choosing between the two? Any other diminutive ones I should be looking at?

I would be cautious of buying any tabletop telescope. They are limited in where they can be used, and if the table isn't very steady, you will get a lot of vibration. My first telescope as a kid was a tabletop model, and even as a kid, I found it useless in nearly every way.

The tabletop mount on the Starmax is surprisingly sturdy, especially mounted on a half decent photo tripod. I'd go for the Starmax solely for the mount and additional eyepiece. Plus it has the 90 degree diagonal rather than the 45 the Celestron does.

I just bought a Celestron C90 and love the views it provides me, especially of the moon, some very, very sharp images. I have it mounted on Universal Astronomics DwarfStar mount on top of my Slik photo tripod legs. The whole setup is light but solid and is easy to grab for a quick trip outside.

Thanks for all the suggestions so far!I will be using the scope mostly for astronomy. I will be traveling to the mountains in Colorado then on the Los Angeles, and would like to take it with me.

I was considering the DwarfStar, the DSV-M or DSV-1(Desert Sky Astro Products) as a mount head. I have a nice heavy duty tripod for the city, but will probably get something lighter for travel. On the other hand I can get a Vixen Mini Porta for the same price... or don't worry about the mount get a StarMax 90.

Perhaps in the future I will be allowed more space in the apartment for a 5" Mak when the girlfriend realizes how fun it is! R

I wouldnt take a Questar to central park in the middle of the night. Just saying....

If you're planning on observing in Central Park you should check out this blog. It hasn't been updated since 2010 but the blogger has lots of info on where to observe in the various parks around the city.

As for observing on the rooftop. Most NYC buildings have liability issues with anyone using the rooftop. I don't know if you already have access to your rooftop, but you should make the building Super aware of what you're doing.

The light pollution in New York City isn't as bad as you think. It really depends where you're observing from and how much local light pollution you have. From the city I've seen Mag 4.5 stars at zenith. I've seen the Pleiades and Orion Nebula with naked eyes. I've found binoculars to be very useful because of their wide field. It's easy to find star clusters with either a 15x70 or Canon 10x30is binos. Binos also help with starhopping since you will see few reference stars. A 90mm Mak is going to have a very narrow field of view and it will be difficult finding anything other than bright objects like the Moon and planets. I wouldn't use a 90mm Mak. My first choice would be an Orion Starblast 4.5 or an 80mm refractor on a photo tripod with a Universal Astronomics Dwarfstar mount. It wouldn't take up much more room than the 90mm Mak.

I've had the Orion 90mm for a couple of months now and am simply delighted with it. Solidly constructed (no plastic at all) and the optics are remarkable for a telescope that sells for less than the price of any number of eyepieces. An especially nice feature is the case it comes with. Lots of pockets for accessories. Put the case over your shoulder, grab your mount in one hand and go out the door.

The only poor bit of the kit is the little straight-through finder. Do get a model that has one of the better finders or replace the straight-through.

Bsim: Yes, I do have access to the roof and few people use it. I will let my super know for sure. I am a more worried about people from neighboring buildings reporting "possible terrorist activity with a missile launcher type device."I am a little worried about the small aperture on the 90mm may make objects difficult to find. Maybe I should think about a goto mount instead for home use. That Celestron 5" 127 is a great deal

I use my 90mm Mak on a dwarfstar as well, and it's excellent. I have it mounted on a medium duty camera tripod and it makes for an extremely portable solution. Even if you go this route the Starmax might be a better choice, due to the included 90 degree diagonal and the fact that the dovetail is on the side of the tube. Much easier to mount on a side saddle mount like the dwarfstar.

I have the 127 as well and it is excellent. It's just a little on the not portable side for me so it doesn't leave home as often. The 90mm works a lot better for me for travel and camping. Same with goto mounts and the extra batteries etc. required.

Hello all! I live in midtown Manhattan which probably has some of the worst light pollution in the world. I am limited as to what I can see, the planets and the moon mostly (I did see the Orion nebula and the Jovian moons last night with 10x40b Zeiss binoculars on the roof of my apartment building.)

I want something small and portable which I can take the roof or walk to Central Park with. A 90mm Mak might fit the bill!

I am trying to decide between the two common ones. The Celestron C90 and the Orion StarMax 90 tabletop.
I have read good things about the Celestron, but not as much out there about the StarMax. The StarMax is $50 more, but comes with an extra eyepiece and a simple mount.

Any opinions on choosing between the two? Any other diminutive ones I should be looking at?

John-(return PM sent)
The only observing I have done so far is through my binoculars, this will be my first experience with a telescope. The Amateur Astronomers Association of New York is having viewings in Central Park on December 20 and 21st. I hope to go, talk to some people to find how they deal with the city!
~R

Does anyone know if there have been side to side comparisons between the Orion SkyMax 90mm and the Celestron C90? I know they have same Chinese manufacturer, but I assume they could have slightly different specs...